Educational appliance



| BERGMAN EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE July 30, 1957 Filed July 19, 1955 B a F99 W. 6. Q 3 2 a I in 3 I We 3 3 MM B4 3 I m 117 5 u 1 a 9 m 6 mm 8 .w m7 U Q. 6v 6 w d 6 6 25 3 6 W 2 w Um 9 Q N. Rm Y 06 E mm m 9 W8 0 o S m 52 0 D2 4 a w v fi 2 6 x .1 4 D 5 Mu 4F z L. a. G I w II 5m 24%.... ll TL5%, Mu MU B, :8" a Wk/ w Jr" v 1 2. n s 4 M 1 .m... m fix 2 4 3" m 2 -IB vM y J6 United States Patent EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE Louis Bergman,Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 19, 1955, Serial No. 522,976

2 Claims. (Cl. 35-75) This invention relates to educational devices-moreparticularly to a pre-school game-board calculating device.

It is primarily within the contemplation of this invention to enable achild to perform simple examples in addition and subtraction, by themanipulation of movable pieces operable within the range of hisfacilities. And in the accomplishment of this objective, it is myfurther object to provide both interest and amusement for the child.

It is another object of my invention to provide movable pieces withupright walls adapted to contain identifying symbols or figures and thatcan readily be grasped, and further to provide track means that willpermit easy sliding movements.

A further object of this invention is the provision of novel retractablepanels constituting part of the track structure, whereby selectedmovable pieces can be lifted out of the tracks and placed elsewhere, ifdesired, or slidably moved within the tracks.

It is within my contemplation to provide a simple and readilyconstructed device having the features hereinabove mentioned.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings andthe description hereinafter given.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention, themovable pieces represented by dot-dash lines showing them in difierentpositions on the tracks.

Pig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1 with the top panelsshown in their lifted or retracted positions, to permit the withdrawaland repositioning of intermediate pieces.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section of Fig. 2 taken along line 4-4.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section of Fig. 2 taken along line 5--5.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section of Fig. 2 taken along line6-6.

In the preferred form of my invention illustrated, the box 9 supportsupon the floor 10 thereof the board member 11 having therein the tracksgenerally designated 12, comprising the three slotted track sections 13,14 and 15, these being preferably parallel, and being jointed together,at one end, by the curved end track sections 16 and 17 merging at thejuncture 18 at the adjacent end of said track 14. At the opposite endsof said track sections are the respective end walls 19, 20 and 21serving as stop walls for the adjacent movable slide pieces generallydesignated 22. The said slide pieces, in the form shown, each comprisesan upright wall 23 extending upwardly from the medial portion of base24, the base being proportioned to be slidably accommodated within thelower enlarged recessed portion 25 of the track structure 12, and theupright wall 23 being proportioned to extend through and above the upperslotted portion 26 of said track structure, for easy grasping. The saidslide Patented July 30, 1957 pieces are thus slidably movable along saidtracks to predetermined and selected positions, as will more clearlyhereinafter appear.

Adjacent one of said track sections, preferably the intermediate tracksection 14, and on the upper face of the board member 11, are thenumbers 1 to 10, each of these numbers occupying a portion of a width W,exactly equal to the maximum overall width W1 of the slide pieces 22saidpieces all being of equal overall widths. The portion 27 containing thenumber 1 is contiguous in position to the stop 20 or left end wall ofsaid intermediate track section 14, that is, the outer margin 28 ofportion 27 is in lateral alignment with said stop wall 20. Hence, when aplurality of movable pieces 22 are operatively disposed within tracksection 14 with the end piece 29 in abutment with stop wall 20, and withall said pieces in end to end engagement, as shown in Fig. 1, each ofsaid pieces will be in registry with a portion containing one of saidnumbers.

In the particular form of my device illustrated, the board 11 is foldedover into two layers, the upper layer 30 and the lower layer 31 beingjoined at the fold edge 32. The said upper layer 30contains the twoadjacent parallel panels 33 and 34, spaced apart to provide the upperslotted portion 26a of the track section 14. Flanking said panels arethe marginal sections 35 and 36, respectively, these being spaced fromtheir respective panels to provide the upper slotted portions 26b and26c of said track sections 13 and 15, respectively. At the right end ofsaid upper layer 30 is the end section 37, with curved portions 38 and39 shaped and proportioned to correspond to the adjacent curved ends 40and 41 of said panels 33 and 34, respectively, and spaced from saidcurved ends to form the upper slotted portions 26d and 26e of said tracksections 16 and 17. The said end section 37 also contains thesubstantially V-shaped juncture portion 42 at said track juncture 18.Opposite the said end section 37 is the end section 43 to which thepanels 33 and 34 are joined, said panels being flexible to permit themto be bent back, as shown in Figure 3.

The said lower layer 31 comprises the bottom panels 44 and 45, themarginal sections 46 and 47 and the left end section 48. Said bottompanels underlie the respective upper panels 33 and 34, and are narrowerand shorter than said upper panels, thereby providing the said lowerrecessed portions 25a, 25b and 25c of the track structure 12. As will beseen from Fig. 6, the thickness of the bottom layer 31 is greater thanthat of the base 24 of the slide piece 22, thereby permitting said baserelative freedom of sliding movement upon floor 11.

In the structure illustrated, the slide piece 22 consists of two layersof material, such as cardboard, folded and formed so as to produce adouble-layered wall 23 and double-layered base 24.

' There are two sets of said slide pieces 22preferably ten in each set.In the drawings the two sets are distinguished in that pieces 50, 51,52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 and 59 are shaded, whereas the pieces 60, 61,62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 and 29 are unshaded. For play ap peal thewalls 23 of the pieces contain a figure of a cats head thereon, in theparticular form of my invention illustrated.

The starting move is to align all the pieces of one group in one outsidetrack section and all the pieces of the other group in the other outsidetrack section. Thus, the white or unshaded pieces 60 to 68 and 29 areplaced in track section 13, and the shaded pieces 50 to 59 in tracksection 15. To perform an addition-say four white cats plus three black(shaded) catsfour white pieces such as 29, 66, 67 and 68, are slidablymoved along track sections 13 and 16 into intermediate track 14-thefirst piece 29 being moved into abutment with 3 the stop wall 20. Thenthree black pieces, such as 57, 58 and 59, are slidably moved, insimilar manner, into intermediate track section 14. When all pieces intrack section 14 are pushed into mutual engagement, as tillustrated inFig. '1, the last of the pieces, 5 7, is in registry with the number7which is the desiredsum.

A subtraction can be performed by first positioning a given number ofpieces in the intermediate track 14, and then removing the number ofpieces to be subtracted from said track to the outside tracks. Thus, iftwo are to be substracted from seven, two of the pieces 57 and 58 ofFig. 1, can be removed, whereupon the last piece 59 in the row, beingopposite the number 5, will indicate that as the sought-afterdifierence.

When intermediate pieces are to be removed, or moved directly from onetrack section to another without sliding, the upper panels 33' nad 34,or either of them, can be retracted in the manner illustrated in'Fig..3. In this embodiment, the width D of each of the lower recessedportions 25a, 25b and 25c of'the track structure is no less than thelength L of the base 24 of the slide pieces 22. Hence, when said upperpanels 33 and 34 are retracted as illustrated, any piece can be removedby lifting it straight up, in the direction of arrow B, withoutdisturbing the other pieces; and it can obviously be positioned whereverdesired. This arrangement also facilitates the original positioning ofthe pieces, and enables the device to be readily disassembled, ifdesired.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by wayof example and in preferred manner; but obviously many variations andmodifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore,that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner ofpracticing same, except insofar as such limitations are specified in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In an educational appliance, a board member comprising an upper layerand a lower layer, said upper layer having two adjacent substantiallyparallel panels spaced apart to provide an intermediate slotted tracksection, two opposite marginal portions flanking said respective panelsand in spaced relation thereto to provide two flanking slotted tracksections, and an end portion in spaced relation to the adjacent ends ofsaid panels to provide end track sections, said end track sectionsconnecting said intermediate section with said flanking sections, saidboard member having adjacent and extending along said intermediate tracksection a plurality of adjacent numbered portions of equal width, aplurality of slide pieces of equal width slidably movable along saidtrack sections, said slide pieces and said numbered portions being ofthe same widths, said two panels being connected to said board only atthe side thereof opposite said end track sections, whereby said panelscan be raised above the plane of said board.

2. In an educational appliance, a board member comprising an upper layerand a lower layer; said upper layer having two adjacent substantiallyparallel panels spaced apart to provide an intermediate slotted tracksection, two opposite marginal portions flanking said respective panelsand in spaced relation thereto to provide two flanking slotted tracksections, and an end portion in spaced relation to the adjacent ends ofsaid panels to provide end track sections, said end track sectionsconnecting said intermediate section with said flanking sections; saidlower layer having two bottom panels underlying the two said respectivepanels of said upper layer, the bottom panels being narrower and shorterthan the upper panels, whereby recessed portions are provided below saidtrack sections; said board member having adjacent and extending alongsaid intermediate track section a plurality of adjacent numberedportions of equal width, a plurality of slide pieces of equal width eachhaving a base proportioned for slidable movement within said recessedportions, and an upright wall extending up from said base andproportioned to extend through said slotted track sections, said panelsbeing of flexible material and connected to said board only at the sidethere of opposite said end track sections, whereby said panels can beraised above the plane of said board.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS336,266 Smith Feb. 16, 1886 448,019 Garben Mar. 10, 1891 1,466,501Gamble Aug. 28, 1923

